Leading this week’s South Florida hiring news is the addition of the former city of Miami real estate director to JLL.
Andrew Frey, who previously served as director of the city’s Department of Real Estate & Asset Management, has joined the firm as a managing director, according to a JLL news release. In his new role based out of the Miami office, Frey will focus on serving public-sector clients and private firms working with government agencies, the release said.
Frey has a background in development, acquisitions, dispositions and property and asset management. Before joining the city, Frey held senior development roles with AJ Capital, Crescent Heights, Fortis Design + Build and Tecela, according to LinkedIn.
Developer Art Falcone has launched AmeriCraft Homes, a luxury homebuilding company.
According to a company news release, AmeriCraft Homes was founded to fill a gap in the industry by pairing luxury homes with a consumer-focused buying and ownership experience. The company’s portfolio includes communities in active development in Florida and the Carolinas, the release said.
The team is led by president Mark Bines and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jeremy Needelman. Bines heads company leadership and corporate strategy while Needelman leads consumer interface, corporate brand strategy and consumer acquisition. Bines previously served as division president at Kolter Homes. Needelman held sales positions at Pulte Group before joining Falcone Group.
Fontainebleau Development appointed hospitality veteran Peter McMahon as executive vice president and managing director for the Fontainebleau Miami Beach resort.
McMahon will oversee all aspects of the resort’s operations, focusing on elevating guest experience, leading strategic direction and daily performance and promoting growth across departments, according to a Fontainebleau Development press release.
Before joining Fontainebleau, McMahon served as managing director for the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in Nassau. He also held positions at Carmel Valley Ranch, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hyatt Regency San Antonio, Grand Hyatt San Antonio and Hyatt Regency Savannah, the release said. He began his hospitality career in 1992 and received a degree in hotel and restaurant administration from Oklahoma State University.
New York-based Surmount has chosen Miami for its first Florida office. The commercial real estate platform signed a lease for 3,100 square feet of office space in the One Downtown building at 1 Southeast Third Avenue, the South Florida Business Journal reported.
As part of the expansion, Miami-based Issenberg Britti Group, led by Ronald Issenberg, Gabriel Britti and Kevin O’Hanlon joined Surmount from Marcus & Millichap, according to the Business Journal. Surmount said it currently has 12 agents in South Florida and wants to expand to 25 soon.
Closing out South Florida’s roundup of hiring news are two promotions at RSP Architects. The firm promoted Christina Villa from associate principal to principal and Hande Obuz from senior design architect to associate principal.
Villa, a University of Miami graduate, has more than 20 years of experience in project planning and construction, according to a RSP news release. Villa served as a senior design architect and later as an associate principal at Stantec for 17 years before moving to RSP.
Hande Obuz has more than 20 years of experience designing hospitality, multifamily and mixed-use projects, the release said. She previously spent five years as an associate senior designer, senior associate and principal at Stantec. Before that, she served as a senior architect and director at Servotel Corporation, where she spent seven years.
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